1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates information handling systems, and more particularly to enabling instant productivity functionality on information handling systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
It is known to provide information handling systems with a MediaDirect application. MediaDirect is an example of an instant on media application which provides an instant on function (e.g., less than 15 second boot up) to enable fast access to files such as media files. Known MediaDirect enabled systems can include the MediaDirect solution via a separate (possibly hidden) partition. In some MediaDirect enabled systems, the separate partition image includes an XP embedded (XPe) operating system (OS), platform drivers and the MediaDirect application.
Known MediaDirect enabled systems present challenges. For example, a. MediaDirect partition can be directly accessed by the customer when the customer actuates a MediaDirect button. However, while the user has access to a rich multimedia experience, the user does not have access to all of the data stored on the information handling system when accessing the MediaDirect partition. This data can include, for example, productivity data. Productivity data includes data that is generally accessible via a personal information manager (PIM) application such as the Microsoft Outlook application which may be part of an application suite such as the Microsoft Office application suite. PIM application data can include email data, contact data and calendar data. Other examples of PIM application data can include word processor data as well as presentation and spreadsheet data.
With known information handling systems, generally the only way for the user to access productivity related data on the system is via a normal OS boot up process (assuming the user is trying to access the productivity data from the S4 or S5 states of the information handing system). A normal OS boot up process is a process by which the information handling system boots into the operating system partition. This process is generally more time consuming than booting into the instant on media application. An example of a use case in which it would be desirable to enable access to productivity functionality and data is when a customer is traveling or is between meetings and wishes to check Inbox, Contacts or Calendar data faster than would be possible by booting to the main OS and waiting for the email client to load.
It would be desirable enable access to productivity functionality and data via an instant on partition of information handling systems. For example, it would be desirable to provide the ability to view calendar appointments for the day without having to boot into the main OS and launch an Email Client or calendar application such as the Microsoft Office Calendar function. Also for example, it would be desirable to provide the ability to view contacts instantly without booting to the main OS and launching a default Email Contact Client such as the Microsoft Outlook Express Contacts client, the Microsoft Office Contacts client, or the Yahoo Contacts client. Also for example, it would be desirable to provide the ability to view a snapshot of a user's emails in the user's Inbox and to read the emails.